Spider Guard

Spider Guard Defined

Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up to date or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

A guard position in grappling is when one of the combatants is lying with his back on the floor with his opponent on top of him. In the guard position though it is the combatant lying back-down that has control and therefore the advantage due to the various locks and chokes he can apply from this position. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is famous for promoting techniques that can be used from this position and it is therefore a staple art for MMA fighters to study. However, in MMA fighting where 'ground and pound' techniques are allowed (that is, strikes that are delivered in a ground grappling situation) the guard position is less favorable. This lessens the skill need to pass the pass the guard.

The Spider Guard is one of several guard variations. It is so-named because the person in guard (the one lying back-down) uses his hands and feet to control his opponent. Preferably the combatant in guard wants to grip the sleeves of his opponent to enhance his control while his feet exert pressure against his opponent's upper arms, hips or thighs. This guard position is taken as a prelude to executing a choke or joint lock.